September 2024

Archive | September, 2024

Sailing Away

Fellow Quilters,

juneau-alaska-pink-flowers-nature-mountains-green-blue-skies

Alaska’s breath-taking vistas

Through the wonders of technology, I am coming to you from the Pacific Ocean – today is Day 3 of the Alaskan Quilters cruise hosted by Watergirl Quilt Co/Gravitate Travel aboard Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Sea. The enthusiastic students are truly enjoying quilting at sea, with the spectacular scenery of the Inside Passage and the glaciers. Since it is a sea day, I am teaching my 3-hour sashiko class before we go ashore in charming Sitka. I am meeting up with Lisa Moore of Quilts With a Twist – we met on another quilting cruise many years ago, and Lisa now lives in Sitka, hiking and kayaking to take in the breath-taking vistas.

Totem quilt pattern by Quilts with a Twist

I made one of Lisa’s patterns as a “souvenir” of that trip and it hangs in my hallway as a lovely memento of the native heritage of the West Coast.

One of the best ways to see Alaska is by water. Actually, it’s a great way to see many places in the world that are remote, including Norway and the South Pacific. Being on the water is calming – I can feel my worries slip away with the gentle roll of the sea. On a sailboat, it is also peaceful – the only sounds are the lapping of the waves against the hull and the wind in the sail. It was not a stretch, then, for me to choose a sailboat for my block in the September edition of Quilt Block Mania. The theme is transportation and, while some may not consider a sailboat a form of transportation, sailing ships have taken me to far-reaching places.

My Set Sail block for Quilt Block Mania’s transportation theme

Here is my Set Sail block, perfect for a nautical-themed quilt, wall-hanging, table runner or even a set of placemats – just add side panels of nautical fabric.

A quick table runner project

I played with the block placement, first setting the blocks in a grid with sashing (ho hum),

A grid layout for my blocks

then setting them in columns of offset blocks (better but confusing with the darker blue “water”),

My 2nd design option

and finally changing the “water” to sky color (I like it!).

My 3rd design option

I sprinkled in a variety of sail colors too, all from Northcott’s Toscana blender of course 😊. You can download the pattern here.

You can find the other participating designers’ free patterns at these links:

Train Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Hot Air Balloon by Patchwork Breeze
Bronco by Crafty Staci
Amish Buggy by Inquiring Quilter
Wagon Wheel by Scrapdash
Go Kart by QuiltFabrication
Set Sail by Patti’s Patchwork
I heart racing by Brown Bird Designs
Scooter Bear by Colette Belt Designs
Flip Flops by Tourmaline & Thyme Quilts
Appliques Quilts and More
Bicycle FPP Block by Julia Wachs Designs
Deep Blue See by Epida Studio
Jeep Quilt Block by Oh Kaye Quilting
“Hippie”mobile / Magic Bus
Gone Camping by Cristy Fincher

What is your preferred way to be transported? And which of my quilt layouts do YOU prefer? Leave a comment below by midnight September 15 (the end of my cruise!) for a chance to win some Alaskan-themed fat ¼’s.

The week after the cruise, September 18-20, I’ll be in the Northcott booth with my colleague Naomi at Missouri Star’s Birthday Bash – woohoo!! If you’re attending, please stop by and say hi. We might have quilter goodies (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Here’s hoping it’s nice weather.

And if that’s not enough, I’ll be demonstrating free-motion quilting at the Simcoe County Quilt, Rug & Artisan Fair Sept 20-22 in Barrie, ON (I’ll be manning the demonstration booth Sunday afternoon), then teaching a Double Wedding Ring workshop Sept. 28 at the Kempenfelt Quilt Guild in Barrie.

Are you participating in Jen’ Shaffer’s 2024 Monthly Color Challenge? Each month you can head over to her site to download (for free) the month’s block. Here’s my September block.

The September block for Jen Shaffer’s Monthly Color Challenge

Just 3 more to go😊.

And lastly, I’ve added so many new patterns to my website: snap up your favorite(s) then head to your local shop to get the fabrics before they’re gone.